St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-03-28
"THE MIDDLE vOsCE.n
Am Interesting Lecture by M. L..
Quinn at ssethsemane.

NJ. l.. Quinn addressed the Musical asso-
citation of Gethsemane church Saturday
evening on the MESA di Voice."
This may be practiced daily in the middle
register of the voice only few times. The
French school of vocals use this ornament
for laying foundation to artistic breath
ing: the Italian uses it only in small doses
for the same purpose. Mesa should not be
practiced in the higher register until one is an
artist, i. e., until one can think in music and
hear with the eye or functions all the factors
of musical tonality, at sight. The least
error IL the practice of the MESA may ruin a
voice. All practice of it should be under the
eye of an expert in vocal culture and musical
science or composition. If one is not
founded in the traditions of the old
Italian school they are not much in singing,
i. e., one must understand q Subject-like
training the human voice historicaly-if one
is not able to teach this art of musical com
position, l. g., make all their students think
in music or compose, they are not able to de-
veiop the musical side Of q student and must
produce only parrots. Both of these must
begin with the first lessons in music or vocal
culture. A student that is rightly instructed
in music can parse or excgete every
composition they attempt to execute. Prof.
acFarren, of Cambridge university. says
one can not listen to a musical composition
without being able to discriminate between
all the musical functions and their relations.
If one cannot listen to a composition how can
they execute or teach it? All musicians agree
with DR.. MacFarren. The voice is not able
to grapple with any difficulty before
the intellect has seized all of its re-
lations. So if one uses little thought they
can understand the folly of learning music
parrot style first and then learning it right
!. e. learning to recite or execute the masters
and then learning to understand their mean
ing. If one were to learn the dramas of
Shakespeare and George Eliot's novels by
heart, i. G. by notes and then take up the
study of the English language they would
spend the best of their lives in parrot
work. No, let us study, j. e. use the
understanding from the beginning. Expert.
more rapidly than they learn vocal or instru-
mental technics, and they enjoy it more. If
a child composes piece he wishes to play or
sing it. and can be induced to practice any
thing that leads up to that piece. The tone
in MESA. can be refined by trying to drink
the breath while producing tone,
Porpora always used the MESA
in training his students. Patti conducted
all Of her studies in MESA d voce or less than
half voice. The Italian school uses the MESA
as much as the German, the Italians teach it
gradually from the beginning, the Germans
teach all at once. The Italian school produces
The best messas. Mancini says: IA true art
ist lavails himself of the MESA di voce in
every note" All teachers consider this
the highest charm in vocals. All of the great
masters have considered this one of the
greatest factors in vocal culture. D'Aubigny
says: THE beginning and the end of 4 note
must resemble the waiting of the evening
breeze; one perceiveS its beginning without
being able TO define it; one is still listening
10 its termination when the note has already
io1